Territorial acknowledgement
With great respect, we acknowledge that BCCNM’s office is located on the unceded territories of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking peoples – xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, and the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh-ulh Sníchim speaking peoples - Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.
Call for artwork
The British Columbia College of Nurses & Midwives (BCCNM) is seeking to work with a B.C.-based Indigenous (First Nation, Inuit, and Métis) artist to create original artwork for a T-shirt to honour Orange Shirt Day and commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Sept. 30. The T-shirt is intended to acknowledge the harm perpetrated against Indigenous Peoples through the residential "school” system and other government actions, demonstrate BCCNM’s ongoing commitment to the constructive disruption of Indigenous-specific racism amongst B.C. nurses and midwives, and to encourage our staff to reflect on and take actions to incorporate the principles of reconciliation into their professional and personal lives.
About the college
As a health regulator, our legal obligation is to protect the public through the regulation of nursing and midwifery. Regulation allows BCCNM to set standards for nurses and midwives. These standards ensure the public receives safe, competent, and ethical care.
BCCNM is the largest health regulator in western Canada, regulating over 60,000 licensed practical nurses, nurse practitioners, registered midwives, registered nurses, and registered psychiatric nurses.
In 2017, the previous B.C. nursing and midwifery colleges were four of 22 B.C. health professions to pledge their commitment to making our health system more culturally safe for Indigenous people. BCCNM continues this commitment.
On May 11, 2021, B.C.’s four largest health regulators issued an apology to the Indigenous Peoples and communities who have experienced racism while engaging with these health regulatory colleges and with the health professionals they regulate.
About the project
September 30 honours First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Survivors, their families, their communities, and those who never returned home from residential schools. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing legacy of residential “schools” is a vital component of the reconciliation process, as it starts with acknowledging the truth. BCCNM encourages nurses, midwives, and our staff, board and committee members to reflect on their role in reconciliation, particularly within the healthcare system.
This day coincides with Orange Shirt Day, an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family, and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to honour the concept of “Every Child Matters.” The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom, and human rights experienced by Indigenous children over generations.
This work is part of the college’s strategic goal to embrace and promote an anti-racist and “speak-up” culture, with an emphasis on confronting Indigenous-specific racism.
The Indigenous artist chosen for this project will create camera-ready artwork that will be featured on an orange T-shirt. BCCNM will also make a donation to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society. This project will start as soon as an artist has been selected and should be completed no later than June 30, 2023.
If you’re interested in this compensated opportunity, please send us a brief overview of your artwork and include any links to your portfolio if available by 4:30 p.m. on April 28, 2023. Please send your submission or any questions that you may have to communications@bccnm.ca